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Eastern Time (GMT-5:00) | Pa. lawmaker wants to give lottery winners right to remain anonymous Pennsylvania Lottery: Pa. lawmaker wants to give lottery winners right to remain anonymous53 Rating:HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, lawmaker unveiled legislation Friday that would allow lottery winners to keep their identities hidden from the public. State Rep. Ted Harhai, D-58, Monessen, said he believes the proposal would help lottery winners avoid the pitfalls that have plagued many past prize winners, from alleged murder attempts to thefts and scams. "I think providing this option is necessary," Harhai said in a statement. "In particular, multi-state lottery jackpots can reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and many people, both legitimate and criminal, come out of the woodwork to try to reap some of those winnings for themselves. Allowing winners the option of remaining anonymous is the least we can do to protect them from those who would prey upon them." Under House Bill 1893, lottery prize winners could decide not to disclose their names to the public. The city and county of the lottery winner would still be released. The legislation would apply to multi-state lottery games, such as Powerball and Mega Millions. Only a handful of states allow lottery winners to hide their identities. Pennsylvania Lottery spokesman Gary Miller said releasing their names ensures greater transparency and trust in the games. "The lottery has long viewed the identities of winners as a public record because this protects the lottery's integrity and reassures players that our winners are real people," Miller said. "Anyone who receives a check from the state is technically a public record." If Harhai's bill advances, Pennsylvania could become the seventh state to grant lottery winners anonymity, along with Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina, Kansas and North Dakota. The Pennsylvania Lottery has not taken a stance on Harhai's bill and will leave it up to the General Assembly to decide on such a policy change, Miller said. However, the state system has taken some steps to address concerns over the safety of lottery winners. Last spring, after learning some past winners had been targeted by scam artists, the Pennsylvania Lottery stopped posting full names of winners, Miller said. Now, the list only includes the winners' first names, first letter of their last names and counties of residence, unless the winners choose to disclose more details. The state lottery website has also published a list of tips to help players avoid getting scammed, such as by falling for phony calls and emails that request bank account information or fees to claim a prize. "We want lottery winners to take common-sense steps to protect themselves against becoming the victims of scam artists," Miller said. "We never require anybody to pay any money or to make a purchase to claim a prize." Sentinel We'd love to see your comments here! Register for a FREE membership — it takes just a few moments — and you'll be able to post comments here and on any of our forums. If you're already a member, you can Log In to post a comment. 77 comments. Last comment 3 years ago by . u$a United States Member #106665 February 22, 2011 19144 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 9:48 am - IP Logged | |
This is actually not a bad idea i like to see the pictures but safety first i guess | | |
Rochester United States Member #103282 January 1, 2011 602 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 9:57 am - IP Logged | |
I definitely support the identities of winners to be hidden.  Money is a terrible master, but a great servant... | | |
Kentucky United States Member #35086 March 12, 2006 10374 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 10:12 am - IP Logged | |
Good for Pa.  I hope they do I think all states should do that Congress asks the WH for stuff all the time and they wont release much So if they can hide stuff..............why cant a lottery winners name be hidden also I have always felt that a large lottery winner should have the option to remain anonymous If they so chose to do so I also think they should not tax lottery winnings ( like Canada ) but we all know that aint gonna happen | | |
Ringleader Michigan United States Member #81740 October 28, 2009 38337 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 10:15 am - IP Logged | |
Good for Pa. I hope they do I think all states should do that Congress asks the WH for stuff all the time and they wont release much So if they can hide stuff..............why cant a lottery winners name be hidden also I have always felt that a large lottery winner should have the option to remain anonymous If they so chose to do so I also think they should not tax lottery winnings ( like Canada ) but we all know that aint gonna happen I agree Did you exchange a walk on part in the war ? For a lead role in a cage? From Pink Floyd's " Wish you were here" | | |
PA United States Member #66141 October 16, 2008 1655 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 10:19 am - IP Logged | |
I am from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and I support this 100%! The Greed of Envy & too many crooks make this necessary! dpoly1 - Playing the lottery to save the jobs of those that build, transport, sell & maintain luxury items! - Eschew Poverty ........... Vote Conservative! | | |
United States Member #149596 December 4, 2013 208 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 10:24 am - IP Logged | |
I Love this but only selfishly. I've deliberately gone out of my way to purchase tickets in anonymous Lottery States because if i win i want NO ONE to know. I love this move but its a slippery slope. If i win, i want to remain anonymous. If you win, you want to remain anonymous, fair. But what happens when it all goes 'dark' and no one really knows anyone who wins??? Not good. Its tricky and i'm not sure what the solution is. Maybe it could be set up where if the win is a multi-state pot (PB/MM) then one has the right to remain in the dark, but if its a State Lottery, then it becomes public record? Not ideal but as much as i would love to and would choose to remain anonymous, it'd get a bit interesting to say the least is no one ever anyone who really won. Especially with these jackpots going to the clouds now a days. Both sides have valid points, not sure which i ultimately side with. What's your opinion, please do share... "It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy." - George Lorimer | | |
United States Member #103786 January 5, 2011 486 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 10:29 am - IP Logged | |
Won't pass, that would make way to much sense. Silly lawmaker what was he thinking........ | | |
Massachusetts United States Member #37433 April 14, 2006 2747 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 12:21 pm - IP Logged | |
This is a great move. Nobody needs to know the identities of the winners. I hope other states also do this. That money's gone fo ever | | |
San Diego, CA United States Member #58386 February 12, 2008 284 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 12:47 pm - IP Logged | |
I Love this but only selfishly. I've deliberately gone out of my way to purchase tickets in anonymous Lottery States because if i win i want NO ONE to know. I love this move but its a slippery slope. If i win, i want to remain anonymous. If you win, you want to remain anonymous, fair. But what happens when it all goes 'dark' and no one really knows anyone who wins??? Not good. Its tricky and i'm not sure what the solution is. Maybe it could be set up where if the win is a multi-state pot (PB/MM) then one has the right to remain in the dark, but if its a State Lottery, then it becomes public record? Not ideal but as much as i would love to and would choose to remain anonymous, it'd get a bit interesting to say the least is no one ever anyone who really won. Especially with these jackpots going to the clouds now a days. Both sides have valid points, not sure which i ultimately side with. What's your opinion, please do share... Independent auditor would be a solution. | | |
Idaho United States Member #94283 July 17, 2010 2273 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 12:52 pm - IP Logged | |
I don't think it'll ever "go dark." There are plenty of people out there who relish the spotlight and want their 15 minutes. Idaho Lottery does not require photos or any publicity other than releasing name and city, but go to their web page and it's plastered with photos of people winning up to 100K. A LEO won a few hundred thou a couple years ago, and he did the televised interview and photo ops. Anybody up to research whether any big winners in anonymous states have chosen to release their names? | | |
Baltimore, MD United States Member #143332 May 30, 2013 397 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 1:02 pm - IP Logged | |
This is a great idea, I'm surprised a politician came up with it. Let's see if this great idea goes from legislation to actually making it to the Governor's desk to be signed and become law. Following the trends and patterns means following the money! | | |
United States Member #135804 November 29, 2012 302 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 1:20 pm - IP Logged | |
First name last initial seems reasonable for all state lotteries to move to if they currently release full name | | |
United States Member #142499 May 13, 2013 1166 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 1:24 pm - IP Logged | |
This shouldn't even be a question. And the lottery really needs to stop pretending that it's for the sake of transparency. Is anyone really buying that? Both PB and MM changed their structure to pretty much guarantee MUCH larger jackpots. The more money that is involved the crazier people get. The lottery officials should worry less about milking free publicity and more about the safety of the winners. The size of the JP themselves should be enough of a draw. Publicizing the win should be left up to the winner. As I said yesterday in a discussion, there are enough winners who relish showing off and who love basking in the limelight that the lottery will get to do its capitalizing on the rags to riches story from those who opt to give a press conference. But that should really be the winners' choice, it shouldn't be a forced issue. | | |
United States Member #142499 May 13, 2013 1166 Posts Offline | | Posted: December 8, 2013, 1:31 pm - IP Logged | |
Independent auditor would be a solution. They already have an independent auditor. Which is why this has nothing at all to do with transparency and all about the publicity they get from the news conferences. Look what they did to poor Gloria. If publicizing her name, age and address weren't enough, they called the media when she went to the lottery office to fill out her paperwork. It wasn't enough for them to give out her details, they WANTED a camera crew there too. Transparency my backside. | | |
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